Embedding experiential learning in undergraduate health promotion curriculum.

Abstract

The experiential teaching method draws on research-based principles of adult education. The integration of academic learning and practice provides students opportunities to increase their knowledge while developing capabilities to meet the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Core Competencies and Professional Standards. Community Health Promotion is a second-year subject offered in the Bachelor of Health Sciences at La Trobe University. The project-based curriculum, delivered over 12 weeks, consists of theoretical material which students apply through hands-on project planning, implementation and evaluation; projects are carried out on campus. To bridge academic content and project practicalities the Victorian government's Integrated Health Promotion Resource Kit is used as a foundational teaching resource. Students are supported by teaching staff and a project sponsor throughout the project cycle. Assessment tasks comprised of problem definition and priority setting, project planning and critical reflection on project implementation. The experiential learning approach enables students, in a self-directed yet collaborative manner, to develop skills aligned with health promotion competencies. Students were able to safely "experiment" and apply health promotion theory while actively developing project management and partnerships skills, reflecting on their practice and communicating project findings. Students consistently provide feedback articulating the value they place on the purposeful and scaffolded transition of classroom learning to real-life environments which they recognised as building their competencies and enhancing their employability skills. Experiential learning through small-group projects prepares students for the health promotion workforce in a low-risk, high-impact educational setting while contributing to promoting the ethos of a health-promoting university. SO WHAT?: The authentic assessments provide students with the opportunity to develop competency within several domains of the IUHPE Core Competencies and Professional Standards.